LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders are hitting the road and getting ready to take on the Detroit Lions for Monday Night Football.
Raiders' quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to take the field after working to get back from an injury in the game against the New England Patriots two weeks ago.
"Jimmy is ready to go," head coach Josh McDaniels said on Saturday. "I think he's got a little pep in his step. He didn't play last week but I think he wants to get us headed in the right direction and start doing some things that we haven't been doing as well better."
In the third quarter of that game, Garoppolo was taken out of the game and transported to a valley hospital to get looked at for a back injury. However, he said he's ready to face Detroit.
"It was different than any injury I've had. Thankfully, things worked out. Overall, feeling pretty good," Garoppolo said. "Every season is kind of unique. I've learned that just throughout the years. It's never going to go perfect but you have to make the best of the situation, so that's what I'm trying to do. Just got to roll with the punches, man."
Raiders' wide receive Davante Adams said the team has been practicing well all week.
"[He's] somebody that's had the most experience with this offense so far of any of the other quarterbacks so it definitely does something for us. We're definitely excited to have him back in the lineup. We're going to go out there and make the most of every opportunity that we get," Adams said. "He's done all the right things to make it easy playing with him, as far as in the meeting rooms and taking accountability. There's been a couple of times where I've taken some shots and everybody has seen that and the way he talks about it with me, it makes me feel a lot better after it. It's not something that he's out there trying to do but we've just got to make sure we're taking advantage of every opportunity to do it the right way so we can continue to build that relationship."
Adams said it has been different than getting the reps that he did with former Raiders' quarterback and college teammate Derek Carr.
"I came here to play with Derek. I can't say I wouldn't be here if he wasn't here. That kind of put the stamp on everything for me," Adams told Rich Eisen. "Playing with my quarterback who I had a lot of success with in college, that factored in heavily for me. It definitely took a toll on me when he left but one part about this game that we both know is people come in and out every day."
Tuesday is the NFL trade deadline and some have speculated if Adams would leave the Raiders and if he was actually happy in Las Vegas. Adams shut that down and told Eisen he is "not looking for a new home."
"I am happy to be a Raider 100%. This was my choice and it's something I'm standing by. I want to continue to work at it to make it what it's supposed to be. I'm not happy at every moment with the ways things go but I'm proud to wear this uniform and proud to go out there with my teammates and try to put greatness on display week in and week out," Adams said. "We just got to continue to do things as a unit, from the top to the bottom, to make it more fun when we're out there on the field, on game days. Winning makes everything much more fun so we just got to do much more of that."
And fun is something that's definitely on Raiders' defensive end Maxx Crosby's mind. He was born in Michigan before his family moved to Texas when he was 11 years old. He said he was a "die-hard" Lions fan growing up. While the Raiders have played the Lions before, this will be Crosby's first time facing the Lions at Ford Field.
Crosby also went to college at Eastern Michigan University. This off-season, he was inducted into the school's Football Ring of Honor. On Monday, Crosby announced he is donating $1 million to the EMU Athletics Department. The school said due to Crosby's generosity, the football playing surface inside Rynearson Stadium will be named after him.
"Eastern Michigan University holds a very special place in my heart and I am incredibly grateful for the significant role my EMU experience has played in shaping my life as an athlete and as a man," Crosby said in a statement.
Kick-off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. You can watch the game on Channel 13, with pre-game coverage starting at 4:30 p.m.
